欧博娱乐College Football Rankings Week 8: CFN Top 25 A
Pete Fiutak
Sun, October 12, 2025 at 9:18 AM UTC·
8 min read
For all of the fun, and all the tough battles, and all of the stunners, most of the teams in the Week 8 CFN Top 25 survived and advanced - or had the week off. But for a few key teams, this weekend might have changed everything.
It started with South Florida ripping through North Texas to take command of the American Conference race. And then came a wild Saturday, starting with Ohio State getting by Illinois and Alabama taking down unbeaten Missouri.
But all eyes were on the Texas vs Oklahoma showdown, where Arch Manning and the Longhorns pulled off the win they had to have to get back in the chase for the SEC Championship and national title.
While all of that was happening, Indiana was busy pulling off what could be the most important win in school history by taking down Oregon. Combine all of that with USC's dominant win over Michigan, and the season just took a big turn.
Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks on before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl.© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
25 CincinnatiRecord: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 26
Last Game: Cincinnati 20, UCF 11
Up Next: at Oklahoma State
It wasn't just the win over UCF that pushed the Bearcats into the Top 25. The tough loss to Nebraska to start the season now looks great for the consistent team that's deep in the hunt for the Big 12 title.
CFN Rankings
Bottom 25 | 26-111
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24 NebraskaRecord: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 25
Last Game: Nebraska 34, Maryland 31
Up Next: at Minnesota
The win over Cincinnati now becomes even stronger. The tight win over Maryland on the road put more meat on the Nebraska schedule bone.
Record: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 34
Last Game: Utah 42, Arizona State 10
Up Next: at BYU
No, Arizona State didn't have quarterback Sam Leavitt, but the Sun Devil star doesn't play defense. Utah appears to be back to where it should be after getting hit hard by Texas Tech a few weeks ago.
Record: 4-2
Last Week Ranking: 15
Last Game: USC 31, Michigan 13
Up Next: Washington
There's no shame at the moment for losing at Oklahoma and USC. It would be nice if the two games were closer, but the win over Nebraska a few weeks ago keeps the Wolverines in the top 25.
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21 OklahomaRecord: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 13
Last Game: Texas 23, Oklahoma 6
Up Next: at South Carolina
Let's just see what happens once John Mateer is fully healthy. The wins over Michigan and Auburn were good, but now comes the brutal part of the slate following the Red River rocking from the Longhorns.
Record: 4-2
Last Week Ranking: 23
Last Game: Texas 23, Oklahoma 6
Up Next: at Kentucky
That's how you get over a loss like the Longhorns suffered at Florida. That was the Arch Manning we've been waiting for - at least, it was a big step - and that's the Texas defense that should carry the team through the rest of the season.
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19 FloridaRecord: 2-4
Last Week Ranking: 22
Last Game: Texas A&M 34, Florida 17
Up Next: Mississippi State
Seriously, a 2-4 team is here? Yeah, because it beat Texas, and the four teams it lost to have a combined two losses - one was to Miami, and the other to an unbeaten Ole Miss. The worst loss came to ...
Record: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 21
Last Game: USF 63, North Texas 35
Up Next: Florida Atlantic
Did Texas go into Gainesville and come away with a win? No. Losing at Miami is forgivable, especially considering the offensive show put on against North Texas in a statement moment.
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17 BYURecord: 6-0
Last Week Ranking: 20
Last Game: BYU 33, Arizona 27 2OT
Up Next: Utah
BYU is here by the skin of its teeth, needing late heroics to slip past Arizona in a double-overtime thriller. Beat Utah, and the Cougars could be flirting with the top ten.
Record: 6-0
Last Week Ranking: 17
Last Game: Georgia Tech 35, Virginia Tech 20
Up Next: at Duke
It would be nice if the team started playing a bit better overall, but the Colorado and Clemson wins suddenly look stronger.
Record: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 14
Last Game: Alabama 27, Missouri 24
Up Next: at Auburn
It was a home loss to Alabama. Mizzou had the ball with a chance to at least tie, and couldn't pull it off. No shame there.
Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans running back Bryan Jackson (21) leaps into the end zone for a touchdown in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
14 USCRecord: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 18
Last Game: USC 31, Michigan 13
Up Next: at Notre Dame
That wasn't just anyone that USC toyed around with. Now the Trojans are fully back into the Big Ten title chase after passing a huge test. Get by Notre Dame next week, and this gets serious.
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13 IllinoisRecord: 5-2
Last Week Ranking: 16
Last Game: Ohio State 34, Illinois 16
Up Next: OPEN DATE
There's no penalizing Illinois for losing at home to the No. 1 team in the nation. If anything, it was able to penetrate that defense just a little bit. The win over USC looks fantastic, and the blowout loss to Indiana is far more understandable.
Record: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 11
Last Game: Tennessee 34, Arkansas 31
Up Next: at Alabama
We're going to need a bit more out of you, Tennessee. That Arkansas win was way too tight, and if Mississippi State is you're best win, then we need a win at Alabama next week to keep giving the love. The same goes for ...
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11 GeorgiaRecord: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 9
Last Game: Georgia 20, Auburn 10
Up Next: Ole Miss
If you're 5-1 with wins at Tennessee and Auburn, and a close loss to Alabama, you're doing something right. But Georgia is looking way too beatable. That doesn't matter a single solitary lick if it hands Ole Miss its first loss.
Record: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 7
Last Game: LSU 20, South Carolina 10
Up Next: at Vanderbilt
The offense still can't get rolling, but the defense is lights out, allowing ten points or fewer in five of the six games.
Record: 6-0
Last Week Ranking: 10
Last Game: Texas Tech 42, Kansas 17
Up Next: at Arizona State
Don't make excuses here, and don't diminish what the Red Raiders are doing because of NIL. This is a totally dominant team that no one can lay a glove on.
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8 Ole MissRecord: 6-0
Last Week Ranking: 6
Last Game: Ole Miss 24, Washington State 21
Up Next: at Georgia
Ehhhhhhhh, okay, you were sleepy after the layoff, and you have the Georgia game up next. A win's a win, but no more of that against inferior teams.
Record: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 8
Last Game: Alabama 27, Missouri 24
Up Next: Tennessee
The Florida State opener was obviously a quirky blip. Ty Simpson is playing lights out, the coaching staff called a whale of a game, and being the first to beat Missouri is impressive.
Record: 5-1
Last Week Ranking: 2
Last Game: Indiana 30, Oregon 20
Up Next: at Rutgers
If Penn State really is awful, evaluating Oregon gets tricky because there isn't another win on the schedule that you and ten friends couldn't get. Technically, the best win so far is over ... Northwestern?
Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; The Notre Dame Leprechaun waves an ND flag after a Fighting Irish touchdown against the NC State Wolfpack during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. © Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
5 Notre DameRecord: 4-2
Last Week Ranking: 5
Last Game: Notre Dame 36, NC State 7
Up Next: USC
If you need an explanation for why the Irish are here, you haven't seen them play since losing the razor-close games against two of the best teams in America. Notre Dame is making blowout wins look routine.
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4 Texas A&MRecord: 6-0
Last Week Ranking: 4
Last Game: Texas A&M 34, Florida 17
Up Next: at Arkansas
It hasn't always been pretty, but now the Aggies have wins over a killer Notre Dame team, an Auburn squad that's giving everyone problems, a Mississippi State team that took down a fully-functional Arizona State, and a Florida bunch that beat Texas.
Record: 5-0
Last Week Ranking: 3
Last Game: OPEN DATE
Up Next: Louisville
You could reasonably argue that Miami should be No. 1 with blowout wins over USF and Florida, along with that wonderful opening weekend victory over Notre Dame.
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2 IndianaRecord: 6-0
Last Week Ranking: 12
Last Game: Indiana 30, Oregon 20
Up Next: Michigan State
It's going to get way overblown - after all, again, Oregon's best win so far was against Northwestern - but that really was impressive. The 63-10 victory over Illinois was just as big a deal.
Record: 6-0
Last Week Ranking: 1
Last Game: Ohio State 34, Illinois 16
Up Next: at Wisconsin
That it was seen as a win for Illinois to simply score double-digit points should show just how locked in this Buckeye team is. It's in a killer groove with a defense playing at a whole other level.
- CFN Week 8 Teams from 26 to 111
This story was originally reported by College Football News on Oct 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.